Chapter 5

Aria’s POV

I froze. My eyes scanned the hallway, lit only by the flickering of dim torches on the stone walls. My heart pounded so loud I could barely hear my own breath. The footsteps had stopped.

No reply.

I quickly packed up the shards, a few pieces cutting my fingers. I did not even feel the sting. My body was already numb. When I finally stood, the hallway was empty. But I knew someone had been there. Maybe it was him. Maybe not.

I returned to the servant quarters, hands trembling. Lara took one look at my tear streaked face and bleeding fingers and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"What did he do to you?" she asked, her voice sharp with fury.

"Nothing worse than usual," I whispered. "But his words… they were not from someone who did not care. They were from someone trying not to care."

Lara frowned, brushing my hair back.

"Ares? You think he is your mate?"

"I do not want to think about it," I said. "If he is, then the Moon Goddess must truly hate me."

That night, I could not sleep. Ares' voice haunted me, each cruel word replaying again and again. But buried beneath the coldness in his eyes, I remembered the flicker of shock. Of fear. Of recognition. Maybe I was losing my mind.

I stared out the window of the guest wing, trying to clear my head. The city lights in the distance reminded me of what it felt like to be young and foolish. I was both, once. Before Carla died. Before I became what I am now.

But Aria unsettled everything I had buried. Her scent still lingered in my room, clinging to the air like a challenge I could not ignore. I told myself I rejected her because she was weak. An Omega. A servant. But I knew the truth. She reminded me of me, before all the power. Before the titles.

Silence. Then, finally, he answered, "Because she is the one strong enough to survive you."

I hated him for saying it. But I hated myself more for believing it.

Morning came too soon. I was summoned again. The head housekeeper tossed a bundle of fabrics at me.

"Wear this. Alpha Duncan’s pack is hosting a welcome feast for Alpha Ares. You will serve there."

I opened the bundle. It was cleaner than anything I had ever worn, but still marked as servant attire.

"You think this is a blessing, do you?" she sneered. "It is not. You are being tested. He will break you."

I bit the inside of my cheek and said nothing.

At the feast, the grand hall sparkled with lanterns and murmurs. I stood near the wall, holding a tray of goblets filled with dark wine. I tried not to look at him, but I could feel Ares across the room. His presence was heavy, like a storm on the verge of breaking.

His eyes found mine. And for one heartbeat, the world stopped.

Then Clara arrived, a woman of dangerous beauty with cunning eyes and a laugh that curled like smoke. She draped herself beside Ares, her hand sliding over his arm like a claim. My chest ached in ways I could not explain.

Clara’s touch repulsed me. She was a friend of the Red Moon Pack, ambitious and always there. Too much. Too loud. Too fake. But the moment I saw Aria standing by the wall in that plain dress, something twisted in me. She did not even look at me long, just a second. But it was enough to remind me of what I was denying.

Clara leaned in, her voice a venomous whisper.

"You are staring at that girl too much. She is just an Omega."

"I was not aware my eyes needed permission," I said coldly.

Clara pulled back, eyes narrowing.

James appeared at my side.

"She is not what she seems," he said.

"Who?" I asked, though I already knew.

"Aria."

I said nothing.

He continued. "She may not have her wolf, but she is surviving in a place meant to destroy people like her. That alone makes her stronger than half this pack."

I clenched my jaw. Why did I feel like I was the one being judged?

Later that Night

The feast ended. I returned to the servants hall, exhausted. Lara was already asleep, curled in a ball on the straw mat. I bathed quietly, then crawled into my bed.

I did not know what was more painful. Ares' rejection, or the way his eyes seemed to follow me despite it.

Just as I began to drift off, a cold breeze slipped into the room. The window creaked. I sat up. My skin prickled. A shadow moved across the far end of the room.

I opened my mouth to scream, but a hand clamped over it.

The hand over my mouth was rough, reeking of sweat and iron. My scream was trapped in my throat, panic rising like fire in my chest.

"Stay quiet or you die," a deep voice growled into my ear.

My heart pounded so loud I thought it would explode. I kicked and thrashed, but the attack was strong, far stronger than I was.

He pinned me to the bed, and in the dim moonlight leaking through the window, I caught a glimpse of a mask over his face and a dark hood. But I saw something else. A bangle glinting on his wrist. Silver and gold. A crest.

The Red Moon crest.

A traitor.

I bit down hard on his hand. He cursed and pulled back for a second. That second was all I needed.

I rolled off the bed, crashing to the floor. Pain shot up my ribs, but I did not stop. I reached under the bed, fingers groping, desperate, until I felt it. The silver handled knife I kept hidden since my father died. I gripped it, turned, and slashed. The blade caught him, not deep, but enough to draw blood. He staggered back, and I saw my chance.

I lunged, aiming for his wrist. I cut through the leather strap of the bangle. It clattered to the floor just as his fist slammed into the side of my head. The room spun. My knees gave out. I hit the floor hard, vision blurring. But I held the bangle tightly in my fist. I would not die without leaving a clue behind.

"Stupid girl," he hissed. "You were warned."

And then a door slammed open. A growl ripped through the room like thunder. Ares. He was there, in full Alpha rage, eyes glowing blue, teeth bared. The masked man fled through the window with unnatural speed, but Ares did not chase him. He ran to me.

"Aria," he breathed, falling to his knees beside me. "Stay with me. Do not close your eyes."

But I could not help it. My lids grew heavy. The pain was too much. I was cold… so cold.

Still, I clutched the bangle and whispered,

"He was one of yours…"

Then, darkness.

I carried her to the infirmary myself, ignoring the stares. My shirt soaked in her blood. My wolf howled inside me, thrashing with fury and something else. Fear. Not for the pack. Not for our alliance. But for her.

The girl I had called weak. The one I had nearly pushed into death with my own rejection.

"Do not die on me," I growled, brushing damp hair from her face as the healer worked. "Please… Aria…"

James arrived minutes later.

"She cut this off him," I said, handing him the bangle she had gripped so tightly. "That is the Red Moon crest."

James’ face darkened.

"One of their own?"

"Or someone posing as one. Either way, someone in this pack wants her gone."

"And they knew where she slept," he added grimly. "This was not random."

I nodded. "Double the guards. I want this entire place searched."

I turned back to Aria, her face pale but peaceful now.

"She fought back," James said quietly.

I looked at her again. "She always does."

The darkness was quiet. Too quiet.

Then I heard a voice. Feminine. Powerful.

"Child of the moon, why do you hide me?"

"I do not know you," I whispered into the void. "I am just an Omega. I have no power."

"You are more than blood and bone. You are more than their cruelty. Call me. Free me."

Suddenly, I was not cold anymore. I was not afraid. I stood in the heart of a silver forest, moonlight pouring over me like armor. A she wolf, massive, glowing, stepped forward.

"I am you. And you are me."

She lowered her head, touching mine.

"Rise, Aria."